Water Outlet Mouthpiece With Switch Jet Control Insert

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a water tap outlet mouthpiece ( 1 ) comprising a switchable jet control insert ( 2 ) which consists of a cleaning jet channel ( 34 ) and at least one flow chamber ( 22, 23 ) provided with a plurality of water outlet nozzles ( 17 ), wherein one orifice ( 21 ) of the flow chamber ( 22, 23 ) is controllable by means of a valve ( 20 ) prestressed in a closed position by a spring in such a way that flowing-in water ( 35 ) enables to open the valve ( 20 ) by a predetermined water pressure. For this purpose, the valve ( 20 ) is provided with a piston ( 19 ) which is axially movable in a direction of flow and comprises a valve head ( 30 ), the cleaning jet channel ( 34 ) extends in the hollow piston ( 19 ) and the valve head ( 30 ) comprises at least one water inlet orifice ( 33 ) towards the cleaning jet channel ( 34 ).

The invention relates to a water outlet mouthpiece for a water tap, said mouthpiece having a switchable jet-regulator insert which has a cleaning jet channel and at least one flow chamber having a large number of water egress nozzles, wherein at least one inflow aperture of said flow chamber is controllable in such a way, by means of at least one valve which is pretensioned into its closing position, that said valve can be opened by the water flowing in, by a predeterminable banking-up pressure of the latter.

A water outlet mouthpiece of the kind initially mentioned is known from DE 44 36 139 A1. Here, the inflow apertures of four flow chambers are each occluded in the basic position by means of a valve. When water is fed in, it initially flows exclusively through a cleaning jet channel arranged fixedly in the centre of the jet-regulator insert. As soon as the quantity of water is increased and exceeds a certain value, the valves are automatically opened, one after another, by the banking-up pressure of the water, and water additionally flows to the flow chambers and passes, in the form of a flared jet of water, out of the water outlet mouthpiece through a large number of water egress apertures. If the quantity of water is reduced again, the valves automatically close again, one after another, and only the cleaning jet channel continues to be supplied with water. The four valves each have a seal and a valve spring, so that this jet-regulator is very structurally complicated and large and, in addition, is also very susceptible to wear on account of the large number of moving parts. Moreover, an ordinary commercial jet-regulator cannot be exchanged for this large jet-regulator without complications. Furthermore, the valve cannot be closed from the outside if it happens to get stuck in its opening position.

From DE 23 20 624 C2, another jet-regulator is known in which two valve seats are shut off alternately by rotational actuation of the housing, which results in switching between a non-aerated, annular spray jet and an aerated water jet which passes out centrally within the spray jet. In this instance, the switching operation is effected exclusively by hand.

The object of the invention is to develop a water outlet mouthpiece having a jet-regulator insert of the type initially mentioned, in such a way that said jet-regulator insert permits automatic switching between a sharp, focused cleaning jet, such as is necessary, for example, for cleaning a razor, and a normal, flared, in particular aerated water jet, i.e. a soft jet, with the aid of the fewest possible components, in a technically simple manner and with a low degree of wear. Moreover, the water outlet mouthpiece and the jet-regulator insert are to be universally exchangeable, without any complications, for a standard water outlet mouthpiece and for a standard jet-regulator insert respectively.

This object is achieved, according to the invention, through the fact that the valve has a valve piston which is axially displaceable in the direction of flow of the water and has a valve disc, and the cleaning jet channel extends within the hollow valve piston and the valve disc has at least one water inlet aperture to said cleaning jet channel.

According to the invention, by increasing the banking-up pressure of the water on the valve disc, the entire cleaning jet channel is displaced in the direction of egress of the water, and the valve is opened, so that a soft jet, which is composed of a number of individual jets, passes out of the water egress nozzles in addition to the cleaning jet. In this case, the cleaning jet channel thus forms one unit with the valve, so that the structural complexity and also the susceptibility to wear are markedly reduced.

In one advantageous form of embodiment, the jet-regulator insert is arranged in a standardised screw-in sleeve. This has the great advantage that the water outlet mouthpiece according to the invention, or merely the jet-regulator, can be exchanged universally, without any complications, for a water outlet mouthpiece having a standard jet-regulator or for a standard jet-regulator respectively.

The valve piston may expediently be arranged in the centre of the jet-regulator insert which is of substantially symmetrical construction, and this both increases the robustness and also further markedly reduces the structural complexity.

It is particularly advantageous if, when the valve is open, the valve piston partially protrudes out of the water outlet mouthpiece at the water egress end. It is thus possible to press said valve piston back manually, for example with a finger, into the water outlet mouthpiece if it becomes stuck in its opening position on account of contamination and/or lime deposits.

An exemplified embodiment of the invention will be explained in greater detail below with the aid of the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows, diagrammatically, a vertical section through a water outlet mouthpiece having a switchable jet-regulator insert, in a basic position in which a sharp cleaning jet passes out;

FIG. 2 shows, diagrammatically, a vertical section through the water outlet mouthpiece represented in FIG. 1, with a switched jet-regulator insert from which a soft water jet enriched with air passes out;

FIG. 3 shows the top view of the water outlet mouthpiece represented in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a side view of the water outlet mouthpiece represented in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 shows, diagrammatically, the view from below of the water outlet mouthpiece represented in FIG. 1.

The water outlet mouthpiece represented in FIG. 1, which is provided, as a whole, with the reference symbol 1 and is intended for a water tap which is not represented, has a jet-regulator insert 2 which is arranged in a screw-in sleeve.

Said screw-in sleeve 3 is a hollow cylinder which is open at its two end faces and has an external thread 6 on its outer superficies 5 at the water inlet end 4, which is at the top in FIG. 1. The screw-in sleeve 3, which is represented from the side in FIG. 4 and has the external thread 6, corresponds, in its external dimensions, to an ordinary commercial, standardised water outlet mouthpiece, so that the latter, or merely its jet-regulator insert, can be readily exchanged for the water outlet mouthpiece 1 or the jet-regulator insert 2 respectively.

For the purpose of fitting or demounting the water outlet mouthpiece 1, two parallel, flat spanner faces 8 for the prongs of an open-ended spanner are provided in a region 7 of the screw-in sleeve 3 which is at the water egress end of the latter.

The jet-regulator insert 2 comprises a jet-regulator body 9 which corresponds, in its external dimensions, to the internal dimensions of the screw-in sleeve 3, that is to say, to those of a conventional jet-regulator insert, and is inserted in said screw-in sleeve from above. So that it cannot slip through in the downward direction, the jet-regulator body 9 has, along its upper rim, an outwardly projecting, circumferential collar 10 which rests on a complementary step 11 on the inner superficies of the screw-in sleeve 3.

Arranged above the collar 10 is a flat gasket ring 12 which, in the installed condition, is clamped in between said collar 10 and a corresponding face, which is not represented, on the outlet of the water tap in a manner known per se, and seals the connection.

At the top, the jet-regulator body 9 is occluded by means of a flat, annular cover 13 which has a water inlet aperture 14 in its centre. Said cover 13 terminates flush with the collar 10 in the upward direction, so that the flat gasket ring 12 additionally seals the region between said collar 10 and said cover 13.

A sieve 15, which is in the shape of the envelope of a cone and the point of which is directed upwards, is removably arranged on the cover 13, above the water inlet aperture 14. Said sieve 15 on the cover 13 of the water outlet mouthpiece 1 is represented in a top view in FIG. 3.

The water egress end 7 of the jet-regulator body 9 is terminated by a bottom 16 in which, in the view from below in FIG. 5, a large number of inner and outer water egress nozzles 17, which pass through said bottom, are arranged, respectively, along two concentric circles. In the centre, the bottom 16 has a circular through-bore 18 through which there is guided a hollow valve piston 19 of a valve 20, by means of which inflow apertures 21 to inner and outer flow chambers 22, 23 in the jet-regulator body 9, which apertures lie underneath the water inlet aperture 14 in the cover 13, are controlled in a manner which will be explained later on.

The outer water egress nozzles 17 lead out of the outer flow chambers 23 which are arranged, above the bottom 16, along the inner superficies of the jet-regulator body 9.

The inner water egress nozzles 17 lead out of the inner flow chambers 22 which are bounded by the valve piston 19 in the centre and a valve housing 24 belonging to the valve 20, which valve housing is formed onto the bottom 16 of the jet-regulator body 9 in one piece.

Said valve housing 24 is a hollow cylinder which is bounded, in the upward direction, by a conical roof 25. The point of the roof 25 has a circular aperture 26 through which the valve piston 19 is guided in a stable manner.

An annular spring seat 27 is additionally arranged in the bottom 16 from below, in a manner running round the through-bore 18 and the valve piston 19. Mounted in said spring seat 27 is the lower end of a compression spring 28 which surrounds the valve piston 19 and acts, by means of its upper end, against a circumferential piston collar 29 on the outer superficies of the valve piston 19, which piston collar is located inside the valve housing 24.

A valve disc 30 is formed in one piece onto the valve piston 19 at the top.

When the water outlet mouthpiece 1 is in the basic position, the valve disc 30 is pressed, by the pretensioning of the compression spring 28, against an annular seal 32 which is fastened in the superficies of the water inlet aperture 14 in the cover 13, so that said cover 13 forms a valve seat 31 which interacts with the valve disc 30.

The inflow apertures 21 to the flow chambers 22, 23 are thus normally occluded.

The valve disc 30 has, in the centre, a circular inlet aperture 33 to a cleaning jet channel 34. Said cleaning jet channel 34 leads through the valve disc 30 and the valve piston 19 to the cleaning jet egress 18 in the bottom 16 of the jet-regulator body 9.

If the water infeed is opened, in a manner known per se, at the valve which is not represented but which is connected to the water outlet mouthpiece 1, water 35 flows, at the water inlet end 4 in FIG. 1, through the sieve 15 from above, at first merely through the cleaning jet channel 34 in the valve piston 19, and passes out of said water outlet mouthpiece 1, at the water egress end, in the form of a single, sharp cleaning jet 36.

If the water infeed is increased further, the increase in the banking-up pressure, at the valve disc 30, of the water flowing in leads to the fact that, from a certain quantity of water onwards, the opening force for the valve 20 from above is greater than the closing force of the compression spring 28, so that finally the valve piston 19, together with the cleaning jet channel 34 arranged therein and the valve disc 30, is pushed downwards in FIG. 2, and the valve 20 is opened. Said valve piston 19 then partially protrudes, at the bottom, out of the bottom 16 of the jet-regulator body 9.

As a result of the opening of the valve 20, the inflow apertures 21 are unblocked and water is able to flow to the flow chambers 22, 23, where it is enriched with air, and from these is able to pass out of the bottom 16 through the water egress nozzles 17. In addition, water also flows through the central cleaning jet channel 36 so that, overall, a flared jet pattern, that is to say a “soft jet” 37 with the central cleaning jet 36, is produced.

If the water infeed is reduced, the valve 20 closes automatically through the fact that the valve disc 30 is pressed onto the valve seat 31 again as a result of the pretensioning of the compression spring 28.

If the valve piston 19 should happen to become stuck in its opening position, for example on account of contamination or lime deposits, it can also be pushed upwards by hand from the outside. Obviously, the water outlet mouthpiece 1 can be completely dismantled for maintenance and/or repair purposes, and all the moving parts and seals are replaceable. 

1. A water outlet mouthpiece for a water tap, said mouthpiece having a switchable jet-regulator insert which has a cleaning jet channel and at least one flow chamber having a large number of water egress nozzles, wherein at least one inflow aperture of said flow chamber is controllable in such a way, by means of at least one valve which is pretensioned into its closing position, that said valve can be opened by the water flowing in, by a predeterminable banking-up pressure of the latter, wherein the valve has a valve piston which is axially displaceable in the direction of flow of the water and has a valve disc, and the cleaning jet channel extends within the hollow valve piston and the valve disc has at least one water inlet aperture to said cleaning jet channel.
 2. The water outlet mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein the jet-regulator insert is arranged in a standardised screw-in sleeve.
 3. The water outlet mouthpiece of claim 2, wherein the valve piston is arranged in the centre of the jet-regulator insert which is of substantially symmetrical construction.
 4. The water outlet mouthpiece of claim 3, wherein when the valve is open, the valve piston partially protrudes out of the water outlet mouthpiece at the water egress end.
 5. The water outlet mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein the valve piston is arranged in the centre of the jet-regulator insert which is of substantially symmetrical construction.
 6. The water outlet mouthpiece of claim 5, wherein when the valve is open, the valve piston partially protrudes out of the water outlet mouthpiece at the water egress end.
 7. The water outlet mouthpiece of claim 1, wherein when the valve is open, the valve piston partially protrudes out of the water outlet mouthpiece at the water egress end.
 8. The water outlet mouthpiece of claim 2, wherein when the valve is open, the valve piston partially protrudes out of the water outlet mouthpiece at the water egress end. 